Luna Reborn

CHAPTER 6

**Nadia's POV**

The moon dominated the night sky, round and luminous, casting silver light through the narrow window of my tiny room. “Moon Goddess, please grant me your blessings tonight,” I whispered in my heart, the prayer a desperate mantra. My pulse thrummed in my ears as I eased the door open just enough to slip through.

I paused in the corridor, scanning left and right. Silence. No footsteps, no flickering torchlight. I gathered my long white hair, pale as moonlight itself and twisted it into a tight bun high on my head. One loose strand could betray me to the guards. My petite build was my only advantage, I could disappear into shadows where taller wolves would stand out.

At the grand entrance hall, I pressed myself behind a massive ceramic vase taller than I was. Three guards blocked the main exit, swords drawn and resting against their right thighs. Their dark uniforms blended into the night, but I could distinguish them by details: the tallest had a jagged scar across his cheek, the middle one shifted his weight impatiently, and the shortest kept glancing toward the forest as if he sensed something stirring.

They faced outward, backs to the hall, perfect for me.

I moved like a shadow, darting from vase to pillar to another vase, freezing every few steps to listen. My bare feet made no sound on the cold stone floor. Sweat prickled my skin despite the chill. I was so close to the rear corridor, no guards posted there, just an unguarded side door leading to the outer grounds.

Then disaster! my elbow grazed the edge of the last vase. It teetered with a sharp, metallic clink that echoed like a thunderclap in the quiet hall.

I threw myself forward, arms wrapping around the heavy base to steady it. The vibration hummed through my bones. I held my breath.

Footsteps, quick and purposeful, approached from the exit.

"Check it," the scarred one barked.

The shortest guard grumbled but started toward me. My arms trembled under the vase's weight. “Please, Moon Goddess, don't let it fall.”

He stopped a few paces away, head c****d. Silence stretched. No more sound from me.

"Probably a rat or some night creature," he muttered, turning back. "Nothing worth bothering over."

The footsteps retreated. I exhaled shakily, easing the vase upright. “Thank you.” Beads of sweat slid down my temple, stinging my eyes. My heart hammered so violently I feared the guards would hear its frantic rhythm echoing off the walls.

I didn't wait. I sprinted the last stretch, ducking behind pillars, weaving through shadows until I reached the side door. It creaked faintly as I pushed it open, just enough to squeeze through, and then I was outside.

Cool night air hit my face like freedom. The forest loomed ahead, dark and inviting. I ran, legs pumping, hiding at every tree trunk and boulder along the path until the pack house faded behind me.

By the time the trees closed in, my lungs burned and my thighs screamed. I slowed to a stagger but refused to stop. I had to get far enough that no patrol could drag me back easily. Back to being a maid. Back to the endless humiliation. Back to the knowledge that I was nothing more than tolerated charity in a pack that despised my human bloodline.

The forest awakened my senses. Pine needles crunched underfoot. Damp earth filled my lungs. Moonlight filtered through branches in silvery shafts. And then… something else.

A scent. Rich, primal, like earth after a long rain. Fresh, grounding, addictive. It tugged at me from the south, pulling me off the path without conscious thought. I'd always loved the smell of rain-soaked soil, it reminded me of calm, of peace, but this was different. Deeper. Powerful. It wrapped around my chest and squeezed.

The scent intensified with every step. My pulse quickened, not from fear now, but from something warmer, hungrier. I didn't notice the thorn bush until it was too late. Sharp spines tore into my arms and calves as I stumbled in. Pain flared, hot and bright. I bit my lip to stifle a cry, no sound, not when I was still too close to the pack borders.

I twisted and yanked, thorns ripping free with tiny beads of blood. Finally loose, I stumbled onward. Warm trickles ran down my legs, but shifter healing would knit the wounds soon enough. I couldn't afford to care.

Then I saw him.

A massive wolf blocked the narrow trail ahead. Red eyes glowed like embers in the moonlight. His fur was brownish-gold, shimmering as if lit from within, sunrise captured in fur. Power radiated from him, thick and undeniable. Stronger than Commander Ryan’s iron authority. Stronger than Luna Morgana's cold command. Stronger than both combined.

His scent crashed over me fully now, rain, earth, pine, and something uniquely “him”. Masculine. Dominant.

I closed my eyes and inhaled deeply, letting it flood my senses, my veins, my very soul. A shiver raced down my spine. This wasn't just an attraction. This was instinct. Recognition.

“Mate?”

Panic surged. “No. Impossible.” My eyes flew open.

He stared down at me, unblinking, aura pressing against my skin like a physical weight.

“Who is he? A warrior? A rogue? If he's one of the pack members, I'm done for.”

**Roshan's POV**

“She's here. She's here!” Lan howled inside my head, voice wild with triumph and need. My wolf surged forward, barely contained.

She stood frozen in a shaft of moonlight, small and defiant. White hair knotted high, exposing the graceful curve of her neck and delicate shoulders. The maid uniform clung to her like a second skin, modest yet somehow provocative on her frame. Emerald eyes flecked with silver stared up at me, distant at first, then searching.

She lifted her chin, gaze roaming my wolf form, then closed her eyes and “sniffed”. Deeply. Deliberately.

“Is she inhaling my scent?” The absurdity almost made me shift back to laugh. “This girl is unbelievable.”

Her eyes snapped open. Panic flashed bright and raw. She spun to flee.

I moved faster, blocking her path in one powerful stride. Thorn scratches marred her legs, fresh, bleeding. The scent of her blood mixed with mine, twisting something deep inside me.

"Don't tell me you're trying to escape," I rumbled, voice low through my wolf's throat.

She whirled the opposite way. I blocked again, effortlessly.

"Who are you?" Defiance blazed in her gaze, no trace of submission.

"You can never escape the Blue Moon Pack." I sidestepped her question. "Your speed is nothing compared to even an average warrior. Turn back before you make this worse for yourself."

"Who are you to give me orders?" she snapped, chin high.

“Stubborn little thing,” Lan chuckled, delighted.

"I could drag you back myself," I said coolly. "But I see no gain in it. Go voluntarily. You won't get far out there alone."

Her eyes flickered, softened just a fraction. Shoulders slumped. She looked like she wanted to argue, to plead, but words caught in her throat.

Then, quietly, almost broken: "Can you help me escape?"

I blinked. “What?” I'd just convinced her to stay. Why did that plea twist in my chest?

"I can't do anything for you," I replied, colder than I felt.

She stared up at me, those silver-flecked eyes pleading, pulling at something primal. It was hard, impossibly hard to break contact.

"If you're so adamant," I said, stepping aside at last, "the road is yours. But tell me, where exactly do you think you'll go from here?"

No answer. She hesitated, gaze lost in the darkness ahead, then turned and started back the way she'd come. Steps slow. Heavy. Defeated.

Lan whined in protest, claws scraping at my mind. “Don't let her go. She's ours.”

I ignored him. For now.

But as her small figure disappeared into the trees, a strange emptiness settled in my chest.

This wasn't over.